Cutthroats News

DENVER – The Denver Cutthroats announced today forward AJ Gale has been called up to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters.

Gale currently leads the Central Hockey League with 31 goals on the season, and sits second in overall scoring with 66 points this year. The 25-year-old was in training camp with Lake Erie before the season began. This is Gale’s first career call-up to the AHL.

The Nanaimo, British Columbia native becomes the ninth different player from the Cutthroats roster to be called up to the AHL this season – the most of any team in the CHL. Gale joins Gabriel Beaupre, Joel Chouinard, Markus Lauridsen, Jamie MacQueen, Kent Patterson and Dean Strong currently on Lake Erie’s roster. Kieran Millan and Ben Wilson have also been called-up previously this season.

Gale is currently in his fourth professional season where he has already set career-highs in goals (31), points (66) and sits four shy of setting a new personal mark in assists (35). He scored the first goal in franchise history against the Missouri Mavericks on Oct. 19 and recorded the first hat trick in team history one night later, also against Missouri.

Gale has appeared in 213 games in his pro career registering 201 points with 96 goals.

Denver has re-signed forward Jeff Nietenbach to fill the vacant roster spot. Neitenbach previously appeared in 13 games for the Cutthroats this season recording a goal and an assist with a plus-1 rating.